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Sunday, June 2, 2013

THE DESPERATE HOURS (1955)

Bogie pays an uninvited house call on the Cleavers

A tale about armed and dangerous escapees terrorizing a suburban family isn't novel today – neither in reel or real life – but 54 years ago, THE DESPERATE HOURS was genuinely shocking. All the more so because it was based on a true incident. After years of playing good guys, Humphrey Bogart reprises the hard-bitten gangster type he had created in PETRIFIED FOREST (1936), also about a gang of baddies holding a group of people (in a café). Bogie’s character in DESPERATE HOURS is marginally a more articulate and sensitive version of FOREST's Duke Mantee, you still wouldn't want him dropping by. Ditto one of his two cohorts, lumbering Sam Kobish (Ray Middleton), a psychopath if ever there was one. Trust me, this one’s a nail-biter. (Trivia note: The exterior of the house used in the film is the same set used in the TV's "Leave It to Beaver" two years later.)

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